Quality Sword Of State colt Warwoven confirmed himself as a leading Group I Golden Rose (1400m) contender with a determined victory in Saturday’s Group II Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill.
The Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old showed the benefit of his first-up outing when ridden positively by Rachel King, settling outside leader Castillo King before producing a sharp turn of foot in the straight.
Warwoven ($8) hit the front before holding off favourite St Gotthard ($2.60) by a neck, with Under Focus another length and a quarter away in third.
The victory was Warwoven’s fourth from just seven starts and his second at stakes level, having won the Gr.3 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill during his juvenile campaign.
Baker’s Assistant Trainer Luke Hilton said the colt had continued to develop physically and had impressed the stable with his work leading into Saturday.
“He’s such a good colt. He’s come back bigger and stronger,” Hilton said.
“He’s got better and better this preparation and Bjorn looked after him first-up. He had a tricky gate, and he just let him run on, and that was the key to him today.
“He found a lovely spot, there was good speed in the race and when he landed just outside the lead I thought he was going to be really hard to beat.
“His work at home has been outstanding this week.”
The Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill is the immediate target, with Hilton confident Warwoven has the scope to stretch beyond sprint distances.
“We’ve always had an opinion he’s going to get seven furlongs and even get to a mile,” he said.
“But I don’t know, he was pretty electric today. The team will have a good think about it. The Golden Rose is always the first target and then we’ll go from there.”
King was particularly impressed by Warwoven’s ability to settle despite being asked to take up a more prominent position.
“He leaves you a bit speechless, his acceleration today was unbelievable,” King said.
“First-up we knew it wasn’t Grand Final day and he was always going to improve with the run.
“Today, he was straight on the bunny, relaxed beautifully, he was so mature for a young, relatively inexperienced colt.
“Even though I pushed the button early, he went to sleep, did everything right and showed a good turn of foot.”
King believes there is still more to come from Warwoven, who again found when challenged late.
“Every time he’s won, he puts his head in front, he’s a colt and thinks his job is done,” she said.
“He always feels like there is plenty more there and as soon as he can feel one, every time one has got close to him he has found again, so there is plenty in the tank.”
Asked about stepping up to 1400m, King was emphatic: “No problem!”
Warwoven is from the first crop of Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State and is emerging as the young sire’s headline performer.
Sword Of State was himself an elite juvenile, winning the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and earning New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old honours and the son of Snitzel is now making a positive impact at stud.
A $380,000 Magic Millions purchase from Kia Ora for Ridgmont/Bjorn Baker Racing/S & J Gosling /Clarke Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Warwoven runs for an ownership group that includes Ridgmont in whose colours he runs with Kia Ora also retaining an interest.
Bred by Kia Ora Stud, he is the first foal of Group II winner Needle and Thread, who comes from an elite European female packed with quality stayers, so this guy has a real mix of Aussie speed and stamina on the page.
His first four dams all won up to at least 2000m and three of the four are stakes-winners which tells you Warwoven is not short on class or stamina.
The second foal of Needle and Thread is a colt by Farnan that was sold by Kia Ora as a weanling earlier this year for $65,000 and he was re-offered by Blue Gum Farm at the MM National Yearling Sale making $150,000 when bought by Kendrick Racing/Kariba Racing.
Purchased by Kia Ora Stud online through Gavelhouse from the Valachi Downs Dispersal for $410,000, Needle and Thread produced a filly by Farnan for Kia Ora last spring, but missed last year so will have no foal in 2026.
